Kenmore Hotel

Anton Skislewicz
1050 Washington Avenue
1936

Now part of the Best Western complex, this building was originally the Kenmore Hotel. (Note that the sign is still partly visible behind the canopy extension. See below.) See also the Taft Hotel and the Davis Hotel.

Front facade

Like many Art Deco structures, it is symmetrical with a tripartite design--on the side as well as the front. The central bay has subdued vertical decoration--a kind of fluting design, while the window on the corners are recessed. (More typical in Miami Beach are windows with eyebrows, a variation on the "brise-soleil," also a way of shading the sun.)

Oblique views and the partially obscured original sign

The three-part design continues on the long side facade as well. Like many Miami Beach art deco hotels, this one has few stories, although it still has a kind of monumentality when seen from the side.

The one-story curved extension

The neon-emphasized stairway

We stayed at this hotel in January. I couldn't prevail on the management to take down the Christmas decorations. The metal railings have a kind of ocean-liner look--not uncommon in other Miami Beach hotels of this era.

Art Deco details

While the signage is no doubt recent (with the braille symbols), it is probably similar to the original.